Fishing at the Meramec was unbelievable

May 6, 2008 11:49 by rclarkson

HOLY COW!  What an amazing day outside of the park.  I paid $3 in parking and no tags.  We went straight out of the park.  First cast was by Ken and it was a catch on his new Schweba.  I am trying to get him to post some pictures on his site.  Soon, he will unveil it. We caught an amazing amount of fish.  I caught at least 12 and hooked 18 rainbow trout.  I caught them on the Schweba (one variant), light Cahill, olive blue dun, and an Adams.  My buddy Ken, caught at least 24 and hooked another 24 rainbow trout.  He caught them on the Schweba (three variants), light Cahill, and an Adams.

We caught an amazing flurry of top water trout.  It was unprecedented for me to see something like that on the Meramec.  I end up having to fish the guide bug, nymphs, worms, etc.  Not today however.  It was amazing to see the dry flies that I tied up from a picture in a book hit them like there was no tomorrow.  It was my first time catching a trout on a dry.  One thing is for certain I will always want to be hitting the top if I can.  Fishing under water is fine.  I learned a today about dries.  I mean a size 20 hook is so small I did not know how to hook the fish let alone bring it in.  What was amazing is that the fish barely get hooked, I crimp all my hooks so they are barbless, and when they come up to you, you just grab the fly and make a small rounding motion and plop the fish is gone.  I did not even have to touch the fish.  Why is that so important to me?  I have decided to go catch and release except in farmed streams.  I did not want to touch the fish unnecessarily or tire them out too much.

It was awesome.  I have to give a special thanks to Ken who has been showing me all the trout holes these past two years.  Without him, I would not have had the experience.  If you are ever looking for a Missouri trout guide email me and I will pass it on to him.

058 060 069 070 071 072

Water: 62 degrees (approximate)
Weather:  Overcast/Partly Cloudy
River: Up
Wind: 0 to 10 mph
People in Party: 2
Longest fish: 15-16 inches
Caught: 36
Hooked: 42
Fun Factor: 9.4
Flies:  Schweba (black, brown, pheasant on size bead head 14), Light Cahill, Adams, Olive Blue Dun (All hand tied on size 18 & 20 hooks)
Time: 730 to 1230 non stop


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The board was alone.

January 30, 2008 13:38 by rclarkson

IMG_0273I am wishing I was picking up this board and heading out to sea.  I did not get to try and surf this trip to LA but I will next time.  And I will make it to Mountain View to go skiing.  It will be a blast.


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Lollapalooza - Chicago 2007

August 14, 2007 10:07 by rclarkson

Want to talk about a great time.  No?  How about a phenomenal time?  That's more like it.  I have no idea where to start.  I tell ya, Chicago downtown was like an absolute dream.  Coming from St. Louis, Chicago is a mecca.  I loved it.  In fact I am going back this Decemeber to holiday.  That doesn't sound to pompous does it?  We are going to go for a few days and hang out.  Maybe this time I will get to see the Sears tower from the SkyBox? 

I went to Nordstrom Racks, Radio Shack (funny but cool story), Miller's pub, Damen stop on the blue line, Flash Taco, Sears Roebuck, Club Quarters, the set of Batman 2007 (Sears tower area), Library, Art Institute of Chicago, Grant's Park, some other park just out side of it. 

Anyway the trip was fantastic and I am still riding the wave of enthusiasm for it.  It is definitely a town to visit, but I don't think I could live there with a family near the downtown.  Do families even live that close?

Oh yeah, shout out to the taxi cab driver who gave us a free ride to Sears Roebuck so we could buy new luggage. 


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Then next day...

March 19, 2007 04:17 by rclarkson

My flight was cancelled lat evening.  So now I have to reroute to DFW to BTR on American Airlines.  Notice it is Monday?  They can’t get me to BTR before 1800.  Strange, there was a major snowstorm in New England that has thrown everything off.


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Trip to Baton Rouge

March 18, 2007 04:14 by rclarkson

STL to CIN to BTR

 

I’m on another trip at the old Lambert’s kickin’ it on Lupe.  I have to get me a new set of head phones.  The right ear bud keeps falling out.  I must have an abnormal right ear canal.  We (Todd) and I laid down some new tracks on Friday.  There were some good tracks.  I think that in a couple of weeks we can have some solid tacks laid down for vocals.  I think we will have to have a couple of singers.  There are a couple (3) of people at my gate that look like someone.  A red head with long hair and straight bangs, red like auburn.  There is a guy with a rock and roll guitarist look.  He’s wearing a gray jacket that looks like vinyl.  The other guy is wearing a brown suede jacket with yellow roses on the sleeve and shoulder areas and on the chest.  He has a wool fedora and big sunglasses.  He has long brown hair just past the shoulders.  He looks like he is trying to hide his identity.  He has a turquoise shirt on.  I need that jacket.  I got here about thirty minutes before boarding, around 1710, plan leaves at 1739.  There is a couple with a new born.  Can’t be more than two weeks old.  It is spring break in full effect.  DDD, TKE, GID.

 

I need a new hobby.

 

1805

 

Emerson’s “POET”

 

We have created a society on which man made artifacts reign supreme.  We have taken time away from the sun and given it to the artificial mechanics.  We have dulled out innate comprehension for beauty and replaced it with man made wonders. 

 

“On the brink of the waters of life and truth, we are miserably dying” p284 Emerson’s Essays The Poet

 

He unlocks our chains and admits a new scene.

 

Having read the Poet you must wonder what Emerson saw, or thought was missing in the world.  His mantra was, nature must be vivified and only Poets can do this.  Not a poet of words, but the poets of life.  Those whose words are truth unyielding and indisputable.  The poet must almost be in creation not just a part of it.  Their readers must experience nature through the poet’s efforts.  Again, we come to place individual judgment on the poetry, whether or not one is capable of adequately understanding the details of the poet’s craft.  Not only must the poetry reflect spirit in nature but must not be misinterpreted.  Thus poetry can never become religion or it will face the unnatural intervention of others who would impose their will.  The tendency by poets to use their realization of truth to unfold more truths which they, wholly (yeah) discerned. Eventually, they need to move on.  However, their publishers continue to push them to write, speak, lecture, visit, etc.  After a while the truths become convoluted and later persons who have come to know them are unrealized to the whole truths that brought them to the level of recognition.  It would almost seem that there must be a balance somewhere in truth and compensation.  When truths hit a marketing level of national levels or global a sense of the person is replaced by ads, CDs, books, interviews, and reviews.  I think we are losing a great many of our poets to the ideas of scarcity, marketing, luxury and adornment.  No, I am not suggesting their original poetry lost its truth.  Rather, they are separating themselves from it.   The truth is if you write the poem and let it speak for itself it becomes poetry.  If you must always change it, it must be a work in progress.

 

Landed in Cincinnati

 

A nice beer in Cincinnati

 

It’s like a circus without a ring leader.  Gates are reflected on a screen next to a series of doors.  And they change.  Welcome to Cincinnati .  I need cash and a snack.


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